Cavan Scott, one of the Star Wars:The High Republic authors, sat down with Cherry the Geek TV at Comic-Con International in San Diego to talk about what to expect from the next phase of The High Republic, and to tease some of his upcoming comics.
Star Wars:The High Republic was supposed to get its big promotional launch at San Diego Comic-Con 2020, but COVID-19 had other plans–as that con was cancelled and the launch of the High Republic was delayed until January 2021. The big launch was forced to debut via Zoom and all subsequent appearances, announcements, and interviews from its authors also were virtual until Star Wars Celebration allowed them to meet the fans (and each other) in person this past May.
Scott says in a weird way, the pandemic may have actually helped The High Republic launch succeed. “People were stuck at home and suddenly there were all of these books and comics and audios for people to enjoy, and it became a sort of pandemic activity for people and it brought them together,” he said. “So at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, it was incredible. We had 4000 people turn up for a book panel, which is crazy. We got to see how much it meant to people. We heard stories of how (the books) got them through the pandemic or how they got them talking to family members. That was so touching. For us (the authors), we did everything remotely. Everything we planned went out the window. At Celebration, we had all five of us (Scott, Claudia Gray, Charles Soule, Justina Ireland, Daniel José Older) in the room together and that was very special.”
Phase II of The High Republic saga launches in October 2022. Scott teased what’s in store for Phase II, saying it takes place 150 years before Starlight Beacon, and that we will get to see Jedha, the ancient walled city located on the desert moon of Jedha, where the ancient Temple of the Kyber held sacred by those who followed the teachings of the The Force sits. Scott and artist Ario Anindito will resume their duties writing The High Republic comics series for Marvel. Scott had previously written comics for Phase I of the series as well as The Rising Storm–the second novel of Phase I’s trilogy. The new comic comes out in October of this year, and his new YA novel Path of Vengeance in scheduled for May.
Fans of Cavan Scott comics will also get non-Star Wars-related books from him in the near future.
The Ward:Welcome to the Madhouse, a 4-issue series expected in January from Dark Horse Comics, is an intense medical drama abound with fairies, trolls, and real human pathos. “It’s basically ER if ER was filled with creatures. It’s literally like the medical dramas you see on TV. My wife loves them. I watch them with her and I always think ‘This would be better with monsters,'” Scott said.
Scott is also in the middle of his third arc of Vault Comic‘s Shadow Service with artist Corin Howell. “I’m a Brit. We have to love James Bond. It’s in our Constitution. I grew up loving Bond. I grew up with Hammer Horror and Doctor Who and (Shadow Service) is basically a combination of all of those things,” he said. Shadow Service tells the story of Gina Meyers, a Private Investigator who makes her living in the underbelly of London. She’s also a witch who worries that her powers make her more of a monster than the crooks she’s trying to catch. The series’ tagline is ‘Spycraft meets witchcraft in the world of MI666.’
There is also an upcoming six-issue series coming soon from IDW called Dead Seas, co-created with Nick Brokenshire, which transforms a cynical convict into a reluctant hero when he’s trapped on a sinking prison ship swarming with ghosts. “It’s basically Poseidon Adventure meets The Haunting of Hill House,” Scott said.
You can watch the full interview with Cavan Scott by clicking on the link below:
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